West London rivals Chelsea and Fulham meet at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League fixture on Sunday afternoon. This will be the first match between the pair since March 2014. Maurizio Sarri’s boys will be hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s loss to Tottenham Hotspur, which was their first Premier League defeat of the season.

Fulham, meanwhile, kicked off the Claudio Ranieri era with a vital 3-2 win over fellow strugglers Southampton at Craven Cottage. Prior to that, the Cottagers had lost seven league and cup games on the spin under Slavisa Jokanovic. Chelsea head into this one as the overwhelming favourites, but can the Whites cause an almighty upset at the Bridge?

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Chelsea News: Blues Looking to Respond

Chelsea suffered their first Premier League loss under Sarri last weekend. The Blues were very much second best at Wembley Stadium, eventually falling to a deserved 3-1 defeat to Spurs. That was the Blues’ first reverse in any competition since losing in the FA Community Shield against Premier League champions Manchester City back in early August.

Chelsea hit back in fine style on Thursday with a big 4-0 victory over PAOK Salonika in the UEFA Europa League. That win ensured the Pensioners topped their Europa League group with a game to spare. In the Premier League, though, Chelsea have now slipped down to fourth after last weekend’s loss, seven points behind leaders Man City.

Chelsea Making the Bridge a Fortress

Chelsea have been very strong at Stamford Bridge this season. Only Man City (21), Liverpool and Everton (both 16) have accumulated more home points than the Blues (15) up until now. Meanwhile, Sarri’s side are unbeaten in 11 league and cup matches on home soil this season, winning eight and drawing three. In their last home game in the Premier League, Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton, although they played well and only Jordan Pickford’s great performance stopped them claiming the win.

Having taken just one point from their last two fixtures, Chelsea will be eyeing up all three points from this one against a side some 20 points below them in the Premier League table.

Hazard a Doubt for the Blues

Chelsea’s main man Eden Hazard is a doubt after picking up an ankle injury. The Belgian ace was struggling at Wembley last week, although he did play the full 90 minutes. Hazard will be assessed thoroughly ahead of this one. Meanwhile, Victor Moses is also doubtful after injuring his back recently.

Fulham News: Dismal Start by the Whites

Not many people had Fulham down to struggle before a ball was kicked this season. On their way to promotion from the EFL Championship last term, the Cottagers played some outstanding football, which they were hoping to continue in the Premier League.

However, under Jokanovic, the Whites picked up a mere five points from their opening 12 matches. The Serbian was sacked, with Ranieri taking over immediately. In his first match in charge, the Italian guided the Cottagers to a crucial 3-2 home win over Southampton at Craven Cottage, with Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring a brace. That was Fulham’s first Premier League win since August, although they remain in last place in the top flight.

Poorest Away Record in the League

Fulham have been abysmal away from home so far, picking up just one point from their opening seven away matches. Since drawing 2-2 with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium back in September, the Cottagers have lost all of their subsequent six Premier League away games. Fulham have also conceded the most goals in the top flight, shipping a staggering 33 in just 13 fixtures.

Can Ranieri Keep the Cottagers Up?

Ranieri worked wonders at Leicester City a few years back, guiding the Foxes to the impossible dream by winning the Premier League title in 2016. However, after a poor start to the following season, the Italian was sacked at the King Power Stadium. The 67-year-old is a vastly experienced manager, having managed a number of top clubs all over Europe during his illustrious 32-year managerial career. If anyone is capable of keeping Fulham in the Premier League this season, it’s certainly Ranieri.

Analysis: Blues Too Strong for the Whites

On paper, this should be an easy three points for Chelsea. Sarri will be demanding a response from his players after their lacklustre display at Wembley last week, and the Blues should be looking to make home advantage count. Fulham will have a game plan at the Bridge, but we fancy the hosts to be far too strong for them in this west London derby on Sunday afternoon.

Chelsea to Win by a Margin

Chelsea have thumped several teams this term, winning by more than one goal on eight occasions in all competitions, including against PAOK in the Europa League on Thursday. With that in mind, take a punt on Chelsea to win -1 on Sunday, which you can get at the decent odds of 1/2. Given Fulham’s defence looks far from convincing, even without Hazard, Chelsea should create enough chances to scores the goals to land this bet.

Blues to Win Without Conceding

Chelsea have kept clean sheets in each of their last two games at Stamford Bridge. Overall, the Blues have stopped the opposition from scoring in a very impressive 10 matches this term, with eight of those resulting in wins. Fulham, meanwhile, have failed to score in five of their last six away games in the Premier League. Back the Blues to win to nil again at the weekend at 20/21.

Hosts to Dominate from Start to Finish

In last Thursday’s big win over PAOK, Chelsea were leading 2-0 at the break in the eventual 4-0 victory. We fancy the Blues to dominate this one too, so put some money on the home team to be winning at half time and full time at 4/7. If you fancy a bigger return, backing them to win both halves at longer odds also looks a sensible bet.

Recent Matches

Due to Fulham’s relegation to the Championship back in 2014, it’s been over four years since these two rivals last locked horns. The Blues have a phenomenal recent record over the Whites, unbeaten in the last 17 league and cup meetings. Meanwhile, the Cottagers have beaten Chelsea just once since 1979. Fulham’s last win in this fixture came in 2006, with Luis Boa Morte scoring in a 1-0 win at Craven Cottage.

1st March 2014: Fulham 1 – 3 Chelsea

Andre Schurrle, who now plays for Fulham, was Chelsea’s hero when these two rivals last met. Schurrle helped himself to a hat-trick as the Blues ran out comfortable 3-1 winners back in March 2014. Chelsea raced into a 3-0 lead before Johnny Heitinga pulled one back for the hosts with 15 minutes left. Ranieri will be praying the talented German can produce such fireworks in this fixture once again.

21st September 2013: Chelsea 2 – 0 Fulham

In the last matchup at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea eased to a 2-0 win more than five years ago. The Blues turned on the style after the break, with second half goals from Oscar and John Obi Mikel doing the business for the home team.

17th April 2013: Fulham 0 – 3 Chelsea

During the 2012-13 Premier League season, there was another easy win for the west Londoners, as Chelsea beat Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage. David Luiz opened the scoring on 30 minutes, with John Terry netting a rare brace in the comfortable win. The reverse match that season ended in a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

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